Countess of Dreams
by 212scarlettanne
Summary: Cobb reunites the Inception team for a new job, but Arthur is delayed and instead a new point-man arrives. Eames immediately takes a dislike to her, but no one knows why. The team work to extract military plans from a millionaire playboy who doubles as an arms dealer and sniper.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inception or any of the characters.**

 **Countess of Dreams: Chapter 1**

The dream-share community, both illegal and legal, was a small place. Full of aliases and strict recommendations of work. It bred distrust and betrayal like a

disease. Dom Cobb was currently facing a stone cold room as he introduced the new point-man on his team. He had reunited his Inception team to begin new

jobs together. He had taken much needed time off and seen his children grow for a year before he felt the pull of inspiration and creation that had defined his

time as an architect and extractor. No longer did he battle each and everyday with the projection of his late wife, but simply felt at peace with himself and the

thirst for creation that he had once had.

He had softly started contacting old friends and began sniffing around for a fairly simple job that wouldn't take him far from his kids. He had settled with a

job in the Montana hills and had been slowly reunited with his old team as they straggled in from all over the world. The only piece missing was Arthur who was

finishing a job in Russia, but had provided a recommendation for a reliable point-man to take over while he was absent. This brought Dom back to his currently

silent workroom.

"As you all know, Arthur is currently on another job and won't be with us for several weeks. This is Arthur's replacement, Georgiana. She comes highly

recommended both from Arthur and several other extractors." The petite blonde beside him inclined her head ever so slightly at this introduction, but kept her

mouth shut.

"Oh no no," spoke up a sultry British accent to Dom's left," I don't know her and I think we should just wait until Arthur joins us. We can all pitch in some

extra and work on research in his absence."

"You've never been that much of a team player Eames," spoke up a quiet voice seated with her legs pulled up underneath her. "You didn't know me when I

was recruited for Inception and you took to me just fine."

The two stared at each other for a moment before the British man huffed a breath and pushed off the wall towards the exit.

"Eames!", shouted Cobb after him.

"Leave it," said the woman in a posher version of Eames' accent standing beside him," he will come around. I'm sure he will call Arthur, they will have a nice

talk and he will come around."

"You don't know Eames very well then."

"No," she said quietly," only what Arthur has told me."

Nothing else was said after the anti-climatic arrival and the entire team simply buckled down to the work at hand. Georgiana settled in a secluded corner

away from the rest of the team and set to work. She could feel eyes periodically watching her as she worked, but she straightened her spine and simply

continued the work Cobb had left her with. Eames did not reappear until late in the afternoon and only after Cobb had gone after him several hours prior. He did

not say anything to anyone, but gathered his few belongings and moved to Yusuf's lab off the main room.

"Would you like to get a drink together?", questioned Ariadne softly over Georgiana's shoulder as the evening grew long. "As the only ladies on this team, I

thought we might break the ice and get to know one another better. After all, we might need to gang up on the boys later and it will be nice to have someone

on my side this time around."

Georgiana regarded the brunette for a moment and watched as she nervously flipped her wavy hair over her shoulder before bestowing a small smile on her,

"Of course, I would like that very much. Just let me finish up a few things, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

Ariadne nodded and decided to check in with Yusuf and Eames for a few minutes while she waited. The two men were sitting together drinking whiskey and

trading stories of jobs gone wrong when she walked in. It was obvious they had been at it for awhile as both men boisterously greeted her as she entered the

room. She smiled and listened to their babble for a few minutes before she interrupted with a question that had been on her lips since their newest member was

introduced hours earlier.

"Eames…. it doesn't seem normal for you to take such a violent dislike to someone you have never met before… yet you did today. What is it about her that

bothers you so?"

The laughter that had been bubbling from both men silenced immediately and Eames' face sobered quickly as his green eyes unclouded and studied Ariadne.

He saw no guile in the young architect. She was still so innocent even though she had been working in illegal dream-share for a year now.

"I have seen her face somewhere before, and it was not on this side of the law. I don't trust that she does this job for the right reasons."

Ariadne huffed a laugh, "That's rich coming from you Eames. I doubt anyone in our line of work specifically in this building do this work for the right reasons.

Who are you to say what the right reasons are anyway?"

He flinched minutely and didn't answer but simply continued watching her thoughtfully.

"Do you doubt Arthur and his word?"

This question caused an even longer pause and he chose his next words with care. "No… darling Arthur has always been as good as his word, but in this I

think he might be mistaken."

Ariadne shook her head, "Well I think she seems nice and I intend to spend time with her and find out more about her."

A voice shouted her name from the main room of the building and she turned to leave.

"She is still so annoyingly naive about this world."

Yusuf didn't respond for a moment, "Don't we all wish that we could say that we were still like that?"

 ****

 **Author** **'** **s Note:** Thank you for reading! This is just an introductory chapter to get the ball rolling. Please read and review.. any feedback is good feedback. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Countess of Dream Chapter 2**

Eames had paced his rented studio apartment like a caged bull for three nights. He had scoured the internet and his impressive memory for

where he knew this woman from. Her accent gave her away as being from London, and the poshness that asserted itself in her vowels did not

sound forced and learned. She obviously dressed well and seemed like she was accustomed to a certain lifestyle. Everything about her was

understated but expensive all the same. She clearly came from money, and in truth everything about her screamed British aristocracy. Eames

abruptly stopped pacing and ran into his sofa as that thought flitted through his mind. That was where he knew her from. The last time he had

visited his Mum she had insisted that he go to the local shop and buy her the latest British Royal Gossip rags and then sit with her as she read

them. She had oohed and ached over the royal children and commented on the latest cheating rumors to come out of Buckingham Palace, but

what he remembered most was a picture of a widow following a horse-drawn hearse to a cemetery on a hill outside of London. She had been

hidden behind a veil but he would remember that unusual shade of blonde hair that had been blowing behind here anywhere. He searched for

pictures of an aristocratic funeral from over three years ago, but it proved elusive. He sighed deeply and took another swig of his ever

dwindling supply of whiskey which he eyed with another sigh before he tried another search to find the elusive aristocrat.

It took four days and countless hours of trolling the internet for a picture matching her description and a funeral, but eventually he was

successful. Four days later he marched into the warehouse deceived but triumphant and dropped a blue folder on Georgiana's desk before

leaning his hip against the wall her desk faced and facing her with a straight face.

She raised her eyebrow at the folder but made no move to open it. "May I help you with something Mr. Eames?"

They had not spoken at all since she had arrived days prior and against her better judgement she was curious about the nature of the folder

he had given her.

"Yes, Lady Rawlings I think you can."

Her entire body turned to stone as soon as he said this and her now steely blue eyes met his green ones in shock. Never had she thought

anyone on this job would figure out her true identity. Of course Arthur knew, he was the one who had recruited her for this life after all, but

never had she thought the team she would be working with for a few weeks would delve into her private personal life.

"Should we perhaps take this outside Mr. Eames?", she asked in a perfectly neutral voice even as her eyes quickly turned from steel to liquid

fire and blazed at him in surprise and a hint of betrayal.

"I think that would be a wise choice unless you would like the entire team to know of your fortune and manor house."

She sighed softly before shutting her work and leading the way to the rooftop stairs. Fortunately, the abandoned warehouse they had

procured for this job had a rather lovely rooftop that overlooked the small town and the glorious mountains that formed an elegant backdrop for

the small town. She stood leaning against the wall surrounding the edge of the building awaiting Eames' presence beside her.

"How much do you know?"

"Well, I imagine I know everything there is to know about you. Mind you it took more digging than I am accustomed to. You are a private

one aren't you my dear, but being an English aristocrat means that there will always be wedding, funeral, and holiday church pictures readily

available of you all over the internet."

"What do you want Mr. Eames?,' she asked in a quiet almost subdued tone of voice.

He looked surprised at this and cocked his slightly to the right. "Well I expected a little more fire from you, my dear, based off everything I

have heard and read about you. From what I understand you are a fiery little thing that always goes after what she wants even if it is not

necessarily in your best interest. That certainly does not seem to be the case here."

She managed a sarcastic half smile. "In my experience Mr. Eames, only those who want something and are attempting blackmail to try and get it go to this much trouble in order to gain information and therefore leverage over another."

He stroked his stubble for a second in thought before answering,"At first I was all ready to take this and use it against you in order to force

you to leave the job. I thought you were a liability and certainly not nearly competent enough for this job. I had a wee talk with Arthur the

other night though, he was none too pleased with me calling him what with the time difference and all, but he vouched for you again and told

me he knew all about your 'other life' so to speak. He also mentioned to me that you are something of a forger or chameleon yourself."

She nodded at this," Yes, but all of forging as you say is done outside of the dream world. I do not have the ability like you to change inside

a dream. I simply use wigs, makeup, etc. to change into who I need to be. I had hoped to change enough for this job in order to not be

recognized, but alas it seems not."

"It was your accent… and your hair."

"How so?"

"Your accent is distinctly London bred, but you have a poshness that even I might have difficulty faking. The poshness is inherent in you it

seems like and you are also very gracious in the way you speak to everyone, no one is addressed any different with you. Everyone appears to

be given the same amount of respect and decorum regardless of who they are. That is not something that can ever be faked, it means that you

were either brought up in a family that was as strict as a Victorian or you are an aristocrat bred to be gracious in that way. I also remembered

your hair from a picture I had once seen in a Royal Gossip rag and I merely went from there. It was hard slogging but here we are, a folder

containing your entire life and your husband's too come to that."

At the mention of a husband she froze and unconsciously her hand stroked where a wedding band once had sat. Eames' sharp green eyes

caught this and he watched her face which was now miles away most likely across the Atlantic Ocean on a island known as Great Britain. She

snapped back suddenly.

"Look Mr. Eames, you do not have to trust me, but trust in my ability to complete my job. As Arthur no doubt told you between cursing you

for calling him while on his other job, I am more than capable of completing any and all assignments given to me by this team. Also, when the

time comes, as it inevitably will with this particular mark, to go undercover together I will provide you ample back-up as long as you can

provide me the same. If you have any further particular questions for me you are aware where my desk is located. While I will not demand

that you not share this information with the rest of the team I will politely request it. I do not like to be viewed based off my material

possessions and the aristocratic title that follows my name, but on the merits of my work and intelligence. Please feel free to keep this dossier

that you so painstakingly put together about me and please feel free to add to it as we continue working together over the next few weeks."

With a cock of her hip she turned and strutted back to the roof door without a backwards glance.

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please read and review, any feedback is good feedback. Thanks!**


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